Relay stations (hereinafter “RS”) are added to wireless communication networks to increase the coverage range, user data rates, or both, at the periphery of the cellular coverage area. A multi-hop network facilities communication occurs between a base station (hereinafter “BS”) and subscriber stations (also referred to as mobile stations, “MS”) in the extended coverage area provided by a relay station. In a multi-hop network, a signal from a source may reach its destination in multiple hops through the use of the Relay stations. Relay stations typically boost the downlink (base station to the subscriber station) and uplink (subscriber station to the base station) signals regardless of whether the relay station is a fixed relay station (hereinafter “RS”) or a mobile relay station. Current systems fail to effectively increase relay system coverage while employing power saving mechanisms for the relay station. Moreover, no procedures are currently available for effectively managing load conditions, such as the number of received and transmitted data and acknowledgment packets.